This invention relates to a cargo bar that is installed between the side walls of vans and trucks to stabilize a load being hauled.
The cargo bar is an elongate tube having a pressure pad at each end. The length is adjustable to adapt to the distance between walls and includes a lock for locking the tube length at an adjusted position. In use, a truck or van is partly loaded, front to back, and a cargo bar is placed against the partial load and extended between the side walls. The bar is extended to force the pads into tight engagement with the side walls and locked to secure the bar at that position. The partial load is thereby tightly held in place to avoid shifting as the van or truck is driven to a port of destination.
The present invention is intended to improve on the existing cargo bars in at least three categories.
The distance between the side walls of the van is about 8 feet. The bar length prior to the extension needs to approximate that length to provide convenient handling and installation. One needs to be able to place one end of the bar with the pad abutted against a side wall and then the bar is extended to place the other pressure pad at the other side wall. Whereas the different containers have similar but not the same width, the collapsed bar length is typically on the order of 7 feet (e.g., 7xe2x80x22xe2x80x3 to 7xe2x80x24xe2x80x3) with a foot or so of available extension. However, the 8 foot length is cumbersome for handling, shipping and storage of large quantities of the cargo bars, i.e., as the product moves from the factory to the truck owner/user. Whereas 4 foot pallets are common for handling quantities of products in general, the 7 foot length cargo bars hang about 1xc2xd feet off both ends of a standard 4 foot pallet adding to the cost of handling, shipping and storage.
The bar is subject to substantial stress and the bar must be anchored securely in place against the wall to avoid being dislodged by a shifting load. Most prior bars are cylindrical tubes constructed of steel that is both heavy and expensive. It is desirable to maintain the bar strength but to lessen the cost.
Gripping is provided by the pressure pads as discussed. The pads are flat and rigid with a configured elastomeric gripping surface. The pads are extended against the walls by a ratchet mechanism that is cumbersome and heavy. The gripping surface of the pads may not be secure in part because the walls against which the pads are pressed become slightly bowed under the pressure and this results in a curved wall surface with less surface area of the flat pressure pads being in contact with the wall. It is desirable to provide a pressure pad that more tightly abuts the wall and with a less cumbersome and more secure mechanism for extending the bar.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is made of three square tubes that are assembled in telescoping relation. All three tubes are less than four feet in length and when assembled and in a collapsed condition do not exceed four feet in length. The square tubes are inherently stronger and can be made lighter with a thinner wall material to substantially reduce the cost. The first and second tube sections are provided with a lock mechanism that locks the first and second tube sections together in an extended relation. The extended position will likely be the preferred position and likely maintained throughout use in mounting and demounting the bar for securing a load. The telescoping action between the first and second tube sections is intended primarily to facilitate shipping and handling. However, the option of collapsing the bar to 4 feet is available simply by depressing the locking pins.
The second and third tubes remain in telescoping relation with the second tube section. A lever is mounted at the end of the second tube section into which the third tube moves in and out. The lever carries an elliptical pinion gear with peripheral teeth positioned for engagement with rack-like teeth formed in the corresponding side of the third tube and along a substantial length thereof. With the lever pivoted to its full unlocked position, the pinion teeth are disengaged from the rack teeth and the third tube can be fully extended into contact with a van or truck wall. The lever is pivoted to cause engagement of the pinion teeth with the rack teeth and as the lever continues to pivot, the third tube is forced outwardly into tight engagement with the wall. The elliptical configuration assures secure engagement of the teeth at the point of greatest resistance. A latch mechanism is engaged by the lever upon full extension to maintain the tight engagement with the walls. A release is engaged by the user to achieve unlocking and removal of the bar as desired.
The pressure pads of the preferred embodiment have a rigid center defined by the cross section of the tube, but the side areas surrounding the centers are adapted to slightly bow under the pressure of the lever induced extension. Thus, as the track or van wall is bowed, the bowed configuration is matched by the pressure pads to provide full surface-to-surface engagement.
The pads are provided with a nesting arrangement to enhance stacking of the multiple cargo bars for shipping and storage. A second embodiment of the cargo bar includes extendable pins that penetrate through the pad center to engage tracks mounted to the track or van walls as an alternate application of the cargo bars. Other improvements will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description having reference to the accompanying drawings.